The 13 Best Fancy Hand Soaps, From Aesop to Loewe

It feels illegal to know about this was the thought I first had upon smelling Method’s Vetiver + Amber hand soap, which is a shockingly successful dupe for Le Labo’s $83 Santal 33 hand soap, which has become something of an olfactory icon, known for its ability to deliver my personal holy trinity of scent profiles: woodsy, sweet, and slightly spicy. A single bottle of Method’s suds will cost you under $8 on Grove, but I recently bought this three-pack on Amazon to make sure my kitchen and restroom are well-stocked – plus, it’s always nice to have a spare bottle as a host gift.

Apotheke has made a name for itself thanks to its hand-poured candles and unique scents, including a collaboration with Shake Shack that was surprisingly enticing (I still think about the Burger in the Park candle). The brand’s vetiver-scented hand wash looks and feels way more expensive than it is thanks to its minimalist, matte packaging and inclusion of coconut and aloe for extra hydration.  

Don’t talk to me until I have had my soap on a rope. Seriously, though: Claus Porto’s chic, sandalwood-forward soap comes from a heritage of soap company inspired by Portugal’s natural landscapes, flora, and fauna. 

A friend’s southern French grandmother once told me that Savon de Marseille is the best soap for people with irritable skin because it uses olive oil, which has naturally cleansing and hydrating properties. Luckily, you don’t have to head to Provence to cop a bottle yourself. There’s a variety of hand soap fragrances available online from Compagnie de Provence, including this refreshing citrus blend. 

Maison Louis Marie is, above all, a brand interested in the romance of botanicals. Inspired by his ancestor, the 18th-century French botanist Louis Marie Aubert du Petit Thouars, Marie du Petit Thouars founded the brand in 2012 to continue the family tradition of seeking out clean ingredients and nostalgic scents. The brand’s Cassis hand (and body) wash is one of the fruitier picks on our list with top notes of cassis, bergamot, and black pepper, but it’s tempered with a base of oakmoss and musk. 

Element Brooklyn makes affordable, bottle-free, unabashed dupes for luxury skincare brands such as Aesop. The Mandarin refill is renowned on Reddit for its ability to replace Aesop’s beloved Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash — but for half the price, and without the waste of a bottle. 

I discovered Homecourt — aka Courtney Cox’s brand venture into skincare — in the restrooms of Field + Fort, a Summerland, California boutique-cafe enclave that always seems to be one step ahead on the best luxury home goods. The Cece hand wash is possibly the sweetest or warmest offering on our list, because it brings in cardamom and cinnamon, but it also has notes of cedarwood and white leather.  

Byredo has blessed us with a hand soap that’s mature and musky, but not in a Men’s Warehouse way; hints of pear and bergamot bring a little levity — and versatility — to the otherwise earthy soap. If you have yet to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift, consider pairing it with a eucalyptus-forward floral bouquet for a chic, non-stuffy gift. 

If you have never before read the words Baccarat Rouge 540, congratulations: you are not nearly as steeped as we are in the internet perfume discourse around the super-trendy scent, which is described by Francis Kurkdjian as a harmonious combination of amber and woody floral notes. You just know Frasier Crane had a bottle of this in his penthouse apartment — and it’s sure to make a statement by your sink.